Tapes reveal LBJ's support of civil rights

October 16, 1996
Web posted at: 9:10 p.m. EDT

Editor's Note -- Correspondent John Holliman takes us into the Lyndon Johnson
White House to see -- and hear -- how the president and his
advisers wrestled with critical decisions facing the nation
in the 1960s. In this, the second of a five-part series, we
hear LBJ's determination to advance civil rights in America.

From Correspondent John Holliman

AUSTIN, Texas (CNN) -- After being an outspoken critic of
the civil rights movement during the 1950s, Lyndon B. Johnson
championed the cause during his presidency, promoting
African-Americans to key government positions and ordering
his administration to stay away from segregated meetings.

Newly released audio tapes demonstrate that Johnson clearly
believed in civil rights. In one conversation, the president
pushed for columnist Carl Rowan to become the first black man
to head the U.S. Information Agency.

On January 15, 1964, shortly after his inauguration, Johnson
-- who refers to African-Americans as "colored" and "negroes"
on the tapes -- began working the phones with southern
Democrats, informing them of his decision to select Rowan.

The president started by phoning Alabama Sen. John McClellan,
who laughed and made it clear he would never support a black
man. (20 sec. /224K AIFF or WAV sound)

Johnson persisted and told McClellan to go easy on Rowan. "I
don't want you to cut his guts out because he's a negro. And
I've seen you operate with a knife and I've seen a few people
get de-nutted," he said.

The conversations are included in 80 hours of tapes from
early 1964, released by the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and
the National Archives. The tapes were secretly recorded by
Johnson.

Historian Michael Beschloss, who is working on a book based
on the tapes, said the president knew he could win the civil
rights movement if he acted shortly after taking office.

"...We might never have had a civil rights bill in 1964. That
was one of the most important and best moments of American
history," Beschloss said.

Johnson also would not allow representatives of his
administration to speak to segregated audiences. He ordered
NASA administrator James Webb to back out of a speech to a
Mississippi group which refused to let blacks attend. (15 sec. /160K AIFF or WAV sound)

The same rules applied to the first lady. Lady Bird Johnson
was to give a speech in Georgia, provided that the audience
was not segregated. The president telephoned Georgia Sen.
Richard Russell, whose niece had invited the first lady, to
ask for some help.

"I can't have her at a segregated meeting. But if you ever
have any integrated, where they can have just one partially
colored girl," then the first lady will attend, Johnson said.